BOWLS: Kerkow aims to double glory

KELVIN Kerkow has the big Tweed Heads singles double in his sights for the second year in a row.

KELVIN Kerkow has the big Tweed Heads singles double in his sights for the second year in a row.

And it will come as no comfort to his opponents that the 43-year-old master rates his Tweed Prestige final win last week as his best ever.

"I've never played a final so well," Kerkow said after outclassing Victorian Ashley Bates 25-7 for the second year running.

That's some admission from the 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, who has won in excess of 100 major singles titles.

Kerkow's eight-game winning run comprised 200 shots for and only 89 against as he pocketed prizemoney of $5000.

He was in another class and now will be a warm favourite to repeat his Golden Nugget win of last year at Tweed on August 6-9.

Kerkow is using the new Australian-made Aero bowl, which he believes has taken his game to an even higher level.

Kerkow, who is contesting the Park Beach Singles at Coffs Harbour this week, will be chasing his fifth Golden Nugget success.

He has drawn arguably the toughest of the two sections in the 12-man field and faces Aaron Sherriff, Sean Baker, Brett Wilkie, Dylan Fisher and Steve Glasson in that order.

Last year's beaten finalist Leif Selby heads the other section containing Nathan Rice, Mark Casey, Kiwi champion Shannon McIlroy, Ben Twist and wildcard recipient Bates.

Anderson looms as one of the favourites for the women's Nugget after reaching the Tweed Prestige semi-finals and stretching Kerkow to 25-18.

But Anderson is drawn in the same section as Kiwi titleholder Jo Edwards, along with Karen Murphy, Claire Duke and youngsters Lisa Phillips and Kristina Krstic.

World singles champion Val Smith, of NZ, heads up the other section that contains Australia's singles ace Kelsey Cottrell, Lynsey Armitage, Rebecca Quail and Tweed's Wendy Wilson, who won a wildcard.